Engine



B. AMES.

ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC 14, 1916.

Patented. Dec. 28, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET B; AMES.

ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. I4 19%.

1,363,548., Patented Dec. 28, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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BUTLER AMES, 0F LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS.

ENGINE.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, 192G.

Application filed December 14, 1916. Serial No. 137,031.

T 0 all to hom it may concern Be it known that I, BUTLER AMEs, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful improvements in Engines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention, herein described and claimed, relates to reciprocating engines, and comprises improvements in the structure of engines of the character shown and described in an application for United States Letters Patent filed by me on the ninth day of November 1916, Serial Number 130,474. One of the chief characteristics of such engines is the provision of a valve member carried by the engine piston in its reciprocating movement, and combining with that movement a movement of rotation relating to the cylinder itself, so that ports in the cylinder wall are uncovered and covered by a port in the valve member to provide for intake and exhaust of fluids into and from the cylinder. Preferably, the valve member which exemplifies the aforesaid functional relationships with the piston and cylinder is made integral with the piston itself, so that the entire piston has a combined reciprocating and rotary movement. In the specific forms of engine, thus characterized, shown in my said application, the rotary movement of the valve member, (whether structurally separate from, or integral with, the piston itself) is. produced by connection with the rotor which is driven by the reciprocating piston, this connection involving, in the examples shown in the said application, a universal joint connection between the rotary valve member and a rotating shaft carried by or forming part of, the connecting rod between the piston and rotor, said rotating shaft being actuated by gear connection with the rotor, specifically, with the crank pin.

For engines designed to rotate at moderate speeds, the diiferential increment and decrement of rotary motion of a valve member thus actuated, due to the angular vibrations or oscillations of the connecting rod, does not constitute a defect of much practical significance, but when higher rotative engine speeds are encountered, the alternate acceleration and retardation of rotary mo- 51011 of the valve member, due to the cause mentioned becomes progressively a more and more serious detriment. Part of the improvements herein described relate to this condition and are exemplified by means to produce uniform rotation of the valve member, or, more strictly speaking, rotation of the valve member free from differential varlations of the character alluded to.

These improvements also include refinements in the construction and design of the rotary valve member itself, whereby the fluid ports in the cylinder are abruptly fully opened, and as abruptly closed.

Other features of improvement will trans- .isapire in the course of the following descrip- In the drawings hereto annexed which lllustrate a four cycle multi-cylinder internal combustion engine in which my im provements are embodied,

F gure 1 is a top plan view of the engine;

F g. 2 is a side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the axes of two opposed cylinders;

Fig. 4c is a horizontal section through the axes of the said cylinders;

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5, (Fig. 33) viewed in the direction of the arrows as sociated with the said line, showing the arrangement of crank gears and connecting rod heads;

Fig. 6 is a cross section of one of the cylinders taken at the line 66 of Fig. 42, viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows associated with the said line; and

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 77 of Fig. 8, viewed in the direction of the arrows associated with the said line.

The engine illustrated in the accompanying drawings is an eight cylinder, four cycle engine of the internal combustion type, designed for applicationto the rear or driven axle of an automobile carriage. Other applications of a similar engine with appropriate modifications in design will occur to the mind of the engineer.

The engine base B is provided with pedestals B by which, in the example illustrated, the engine may be secured to the housing A of the live axle A of an automobile. For this particular purpose the engine base B is prolonged to furnish housing for electric self-starting mechanism at F, for the clutch and reverse mechanism 1, R, in the part marked E, and for a pinion P on the driven shaft of the engine, which meshing with a spur gear in the differential D transmits propulsive power to the vehicle.

The multi-cylinder engine shown in the drawings is provided with eight cylinders secured to opposite sides of the crank case B, the cylinders C, 0 C C having axes coinciding with those of the cylinders c, 0 c and. c opposed pair of cylinders have their heads engaging the same. crank pin, so that the crank sha ft of an eight cylinder engine such as here illustrated will be a four-throw crankshaft similar to that employed in four cylinder engines of the internal combustion y V A manifold M which receives combustible mixture through a duct G is provided-with branches M M at one side and m and m at the other side, which connect respectively With intake ports N, N N and N a,

n a a, in the cylinders above indicated.

The exhaust ports at one side of this multicylinder engine are shown at 0, e 6 and e in Fig. 2'; the exhausts of the cylinders on the other side of the engine are of the same character and are placed in similar relationship to the intake ports. The crank shaft projects as usual through one end of the crank case and has mounted thereon the fly wheel The engine here shown is, generally speaking of the same character as the engine shown and described in. my co-pending application, Serial No. 1550,47 1, but is modified therefrom in the manner illustrated in detail in Figs. 3 to 7 inclusive. 7 In Figs. 3 and 4, which are sections taken through the axes of the cylinders C and 0 it will be observed that the pistons P and each carry integral cylindrical extensions V '0 these extensions constitute the valve members for their respective cylinders. As all the char acteristic parts relating to each cylinder of this engine are like those in the other cylinders description of them in connection with one cylinder will suiiice. The piston with the valve member 41 carried thereby is given rotary motion with relation to the cylinder 0 by means of the rotary connecting rod 78 which is provided with the bevel gear j this gear meshing with pinion which is secured to the crank pin L The rotary connecting rod 76 rotates on and with relation to the connecting'rod head, the ball bearing Z0 being provided for this purpose. At the piston end the rotary connecting rod The connecting rods of each swings on a universal joint which occupies the position of the wrist pin. This universal joint seen in detail in Fig. 6, comprises the pin 10 which is cruciform, one of its pivot members being journaled in the piston and the other serving as a pivot bearing for the connecting rod 70 It will be understood without further detailed description or explanation that as the crank pin L is caused to rotate by the reciprocation of the piston 20 the cooperation of the pinion with the bevel gear j will produce rotation of the piston 79 and its attached valve member 11 with relation to the cylinder c In order that the oscillating movements of the connecting rodinay not by reason of the universal jointconnection produce alternate acceleration and retardation of the movement of the piston 29 the bevel gear j and the bevel pinion O which co-acts with it, are made eccentric, their eccentricity being so designed as to compensate for the difierential aberration of rotationof the piston 72 which would otherwise be pro duced by the rotary connecting rod and its universal joint'connection with the piston.

Connecting rods of two opposite cylinders are connected to each one oi the crank pins; thus in addition to theconnecting rod 70 and the above described parts associated therewith, the similar connecting rod K with its eccentric bevel J is associated with the crank pin L the bevel gear J meshing with the pinion 0 The connection of the connecting rods with the crank pin is effected by means of heads 0 and O he connecting-rod. head 0 bears directly upon the crank pin and with its-semicylindrical member 0 serves as the bearing for the outer connecting-rod head 0 To this head 0 there is joined a bearing member 0 secured by screw belts in the usual manner. This member O is slotted at 0 to admit and give play to the connecting-rod head 0.

The valve members carried by the pistons of which the member 11 or its counterpart V are representatives, are made to recipro cate in the annular spaces formed between reentrant cylinder heads and the cylinder walls. Such a cylinder head and its relation to the cylinder is shown at 72/ or at H the re'e'ntrant cylindrical portion of the cylinder head (-5 or S forming with the cylinder, an annularspace in which the valve member, such as W, reciprocates.

The valve opening in this valve member is designed to afford quick full opening of the fluid passage controlled by the movement of the valve member, and as quick closure ot the same. It will be seen that any given point on the reciprocating and rotating valve member will describe a helical path or line, and that sucha line if drawn on the surface of the valve member 1 ,sesasas itself, will pass through one point on the stationary cylinder Wall. Treating one of the cylinder ports either c or n as such a point, it will be clear that each port will describe or trace upon the moving valve member c a helical band, and that if two such helical bands are imagined as being described, one by the circle represented by the port opening 6 and the other by the similar opening n these two "helical bands will cross each other. The port in the valve member 0 is made to conform substantially to the shape of the area, which will be produced at the place of intersection of the two such imaginary helical bands. One of the helices will pass over the exhaust port opening 6 in the valve member 42 and then the other will pass over the intake port opening 91 the opening or unmasking of either of these ports will be very quick and the port will remain wide open until the movement of the valve member 41 brings the port opening to an abrupt closure.

The above described arrangement whereby a single pinion on a crank pin operates to rotate two oppositely placed connecting rods and their associated pistons, results in rotating each of such pistons in the direction opposite to the rotation of the other. In the multi-cylinder engine of which the engine shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is an example, this opposed rotation of the piston and connecting parts is made to balance, and therefore to eliminate vibration which might otherwise be produced by very rapid rotation of the connecting rods and pistons. The pistons in the several cylinders rotate in the directions indicated by the arrows in Fig.

.1, and it will be observed that the symmetrical distribution of the difierent directions of rotation is such as to eliminate vibration from the engine when in operation.

WVhat I claim is:

1. A reciprocating engine having therein a rotary, piston-carried valve member, a connecting rod adapted to oscillate with respect to the line of motion of the piston, and means associated with the connecting rod to impart to said valve member rotation at uniform rate.

2. In a reciprocating engine of the chai acter designated, the combination, with the rotary, piston-carried valve member, connecting rod, and the engine-shaft, of connections between the said elements to rotate the valve member at angular velocity in constant ratio with that of the engineshaft.

3. In a reciprocating engine of the character designated, the combination with the rotary, piston-carried valve member and the engine-shaft, of a rotary connecting rod, universal joint connection between said connecting rod and the valve member to rotate the latter, and means, rotating with the engine-shaft to rotate the said connecting rod and devices, associated with said means, to compensate for the oscillating motion of the connecting rod and to eliminate irregularities in the rate of rotation of the valve member.

4. A reciprocating engine of the character designated, the combination with the rotary, piston-carried valve member and the shaftcrank, of the rotary connecting rod, universal joint connection between the connecting rod and said valve member, and gearconnection between the connecting rodrand the shaft-crank, characterized by an eccentricity to compensate for the oscillating movement of the connecting rod and to eliminate irregularities in the rate of rotation of the valve member.

5. In a reciprocating engine of the character designated, a plurality of engine cylinders, their respective connecting rods engaging a single crank pin, rotary, piston carried valve members in each of their r spective rotary, piston-carried valve members connected tothe respective connecting rods by universal joints, an eccentric gear on each connecting rod; and an eccentric pinion, secured to the crank, and meshing with eccentric connecting-rod-gears, the eccentricity of said gearing being such as to compensate for the oscillating motion of the connecting rods and to eliminate irregularities in the rate of rotation of the said valve-members.

6. In a reciprocating engine of the character designated, the combination of the cylinder, the reciprocating piston and a valve member carried by the piston and susceptible of rotation in relation to the cylinder, the cylinder provided with an inlet port and an exhaust port, the valve member pro vided with a port to coact successively with said cylinder ports, the port in said valve member having a contour formed by superposition of oppositely inclined helical bands, to correspond with the compound reciproeating and rotary motion of the valve memher.

7. In a reciprocating engine of the characterdesignated, the combination of a pair of cylinders disposed in a plane transverse of the engine shaft, a reciprocating and rotating valve member in each cylinder, con necting rods respectively connectlng the valve members with the same portion of the engine shalt, and means associated with the engine shaft and connecting rods for rotating the valve members in opposite directions.

8. In a reciprocating engine of the char acter designated, the combination of a pair of cylinders disposed in a plane transverse of the engine shaft, a reciprocating and rotating valve member in each cylinder, and means associated with the engine shaft and connecting rods for rotating the valve members in opposite directions in equal and mutually balancing angular velocities.

9. In a reciprocating engine of the char- 5 acter designated, the combination with the rotary piston-carried valve, connecting rod,

and engine-shaft, of means including the connecting rod for rotating the valve men1- her at angular velocity in constant ratio with that of the engine-shaft. V 10 Signed by me atLowell;Massachusetts, this 12th day of December, 1916.

BUTLER- AMES. 

